Banjo



N0 Model.)

B. E. BOYDEN.

BANJO.

No. 338,385. Patented Mar. 28, 1886.

N. PETERS. PhotmLilnogmphnr. wnshngru. C.

FaTnNT Orthica BYRON E. BOYDEN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

BANJO.

PEC'IFICATION forming part of Letters Application led May 26, 18%.

Patent No. 338,335, dated March 23, 1886,

Serial No. 166,697. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, BYRON E. BoYDnN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBanjos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensivemeans for tightening the heads of banjos, drums, Src, the essentialrequirements in devices of this class being that they shall be easy tomanage and not likely to get out of repair. In order to meet therequirements of the trade in this respect, I have devised the simple andnovel construction which I will now describe, referring by letters tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a view, partly in plan and partly in section in the linexxin Fig. 2, of the head of a banjo, the shank being removed; Fig. 2, acentral vertical section of the head, and Fig. 3 a plan view of a banjocomplete.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a banjo only, as thatinstrument fully illustrates the principle involved.

A is the back, which is usually made of wood 5 B, the staff, and C thedrum. The drum may be made of any suitable material.

D is the drum-head, made of parchment or sheepskin, as usual, and E, awire by which it is drawn down.

F is a flanged band or angle-plate having au internal diameter whichjust permits it to slide freely over the outside of the drum to tightenthe drum-head. Its construction is as follows: F is the flange whichprojects outward at a right angle to the band. F2 representsscrew-threaded pins which project downward from the fiange. Any suitablenumber of these pins may be used, andv they may be cast integral withthe liange or secured thereto; or, if preferred, separate screw-pins maybe used by passing them through holes in the fiange.

F represents a series of lugs having holes through them, which are castupon the band and project above its upper surface. These lugs arelocated at a point diametrically opposite to the point at which thestaff is attached. The strings vare attached to a pin, G, driven throughthe holes in the lugs.

H represents a series of angle-irons, having hooks H at their lowerends, which catch un` der the bottom of thedrum. Screw-pins F2 passthrough holes in these angle-irons, and are tightened up by nuts F4 onthe under side of the angle-irons. lIhe drum is supported and held inproper position by means of brackets K, attached to the back in anysuitable manner, preferably screwed to the top, as shown in Fig. 2.

by means of nuts Ii within the drum.

In putting the banjo together the drumhead is laid in place upon thedrum. Then the flanged band is placed over it, as shown in Fig. 2. Theflanged band lits the drum so closely that it rests upon the roll formedin the drum-head by the wire. rIhe drum-head is then tightened up bymeans of the nuts F'L upon the screw-pins, which pass through theangle-irons. Brackets K are then secured to the drum and afterward tothe back, as shown. It will be seen that this construction lessens thenumber of pieces and greatly simplifies the construction of banjos.

The attachment of the strings directly to the metallic band whichtightens the drumhead is a very important feature, as it lends greatstability to the banjo; and I have found in practice that it greatlyimproves the volume and quality of the tone. As the construction isopen, the danger of mutlied tones is wholly avoided.

I do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction herein shownand described, as it is obvious that the details may be varied withinreasonable limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.Vhen used upon adrum, two flanged bands are used, instead of one, asin abanjo; or, if preferred, a single flanged band may be used, withangleirons H, the hooks H of which catch over the ordinary hoops of thedrum.

I claiml. In a banjo, the drum, the drum-head having a wire at its edgeto form a roll, and

The brackets may be screwed to the drum; l

a flanged band or angle-plate, the vertical portion of which fits thedrum and rests upon the roll, and the horizontal portion hasdownwardly-projecting screw-threaded pins made integral therewith, incombination with angleirons which engage the bottom of the drum, and areprovided with holes through which the screw-pins pass, and nuts engagingsaid screw-pins, whereby the drum -head is tightened.

2. The drum, drum-head, and band F, having lugs F3, in combination witha pin passing through said lugs for the attach ment of the strings.

3. As a new manufacture, a flanged band for tightening the drumheads ofbanjos, hav- In testimony whereof I affix my signature f in presence oftwo Witnesses.

BYRON E. BOYDEN.

"Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, E. C. PERKINS.

